Perhaps outsiders may view West Virginia’s abandoned places and somewhat romanticize them as a charming look into the past of a largely unknown place they seldom visit. But for native West Virginians, the past and the places that represent it, can hold a variety of different meanings. Coal mines, for instance, summon both bitter and sweet memories of our fathers and grandfathers (and their own fathers and grandfathers) who gave their lives to the coal industry.
Those bitter memories that carried forward through generations may keep some of us from fully exploring our coal mining past. But no other abandoned mine and mining town in the Mountain State begs to be explored more than Nuttallburg.
Not only is it located in the beautiful New River Gorge, it's also now owned and managed by the National Park Service (and has been since 1998). The Nuttallburg mine and surrounding town was established in 1870. By 1873, the town had nearly 100 houses, most of them built into the hillsides so the level ground by the river could be used for mining operations.
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A visit to this old coal mining town and operation is a step back in time. If your ancestors worked in the mines between 1870 and the 1950s, then a walk through Nuttallburg is reminiscent of what life was like in this (and almost any) mining town during that period.
Foundations remain for the school and the company store, now reduced to low brick walls that supported the wooden structure above.
The next town over was referred to as Seldom Seen. Hike this trail and you'll get a glimpse of home sites along the mountain ridge. Without proper preservation, all have been reduced to stone foundations, but you can somehow still imagine growing up in these woods, as our ancestors may have.
The Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Historic Town District is accessible via a very narrow gravel road. Parking lots are located near trail entrances. Many of the trails are relatively short and range from .03 mile to .08 mile. (However, there is one trail that is 3.3 miles.)
The Nuttallburg trails and parking lots are located on Beauty Mountain Road, near New Haven, WV. Here’s a link to a Google map to help guide your way. A wealth of information about each trail can be found at this link on the official website of the National Park Service.
Do you have memories of your father or grandfather working the mines in West Virginia? I do. Feel free to continue the discussion in our Facebook comments.
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